Display case



Jan. 30, 19 8 H STRUCK DISPLAY CASE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 7, 1966 INVENTOR. Heinz Sfruck Jan. 30, 1968 H. STRUCK 3,366,268

DISPLAY CASE Filed March 7, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Heinz Sfruck BY Pfiz (M? A I: a #0 16 y:

United States Patent ()filice 3,366,268 DISPLAY CASE Heinz Struck, Berlin, Germany, assignor to The Gillette Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 7, 1966, Ser. No. 532,362

Claims priority, application Germany, Mar. 11, 1965,

Claims. (Cl. 220-41) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A merchandise case having a cover comprising a plurality of panels of which one is fixed at one end of the case and the other are slidably supported in guideways in the inside surfaces of the side walls thereof and interconnected so as to permit movement thereof between a stacked formation above the fixed panel and an extended position wherein the panels seriatim completely cover the top of the case.

This invention comprises a new and improved display case for safety razor sets or like articles of merchandise. The case is so designed and constructed as to hold its contents securely against rattling, protect them against dust and dampness and at the same time display them in full view beneath a closure or lid of transparent panels.

To this end the opposed side walls of the case are provided with a series of vertically spaced parallel tracks or guideways in which transparent panels are arranged to slide so that they may be brought into stacked relation at one end of the case in opening it.

In order to close the case the panels may be spread as a group into partially overlapping condition so that they collectively fill the whole open area between the walls of the case and form a segmental transparent window or lid.

Preferably and as herein shown the panels are formed with edge projections or flanges arranged to engage each other in position to register the panels seriatim in determining their spread and closing relationship.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the case in open condition,

FIG. 2 is a view of the closed case in longitudinal section, and

FIG. 3 is a similar sectional view of a case of modified design.

The case as herein shown is adapted to be molded from any suitable synthetic resin as a rectangular box having a bottom 10, side walls 11 and 12, a low front wall 13 and a higher rear wall 14. A stationary top wall in the shape of a rectangular panel 15 extends between the side walls at the front end of the case and this top wall panel which preferably is opaque and may identify the manufacturer is provide adjacent its edge with an upstanding flange or projection 16 which will be referred to hereinafter. The side walls 11 and 12 are provided in their opposed inner surfaces with a group of parallel longitudinal guideways 17. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 these guideways are arranged in registering pairs at five different levels. All of the guideways 17 are open to the front to permit insertion of panels therein as will presently be described and each pair of guideways is of greater length than the pair immediately below. The lowermost pair of guideways 17 for the top wall panel 15 serves to anchor that panel securely in place and prevents forward displacement thereof while a downwardly extending stop 15' 3,355,253 Patented Jan. 30, 1968 which is snapped over the front wall 13 during assembly prevents rearward displacement.

A transparent rectangular panel 18 is arranged to slide freely in the pair of guideways 17 immediately above that for the panel 15. The panel 18 on its undersurface carries a downwardly extending projection or flange 19 adjacent its front edge and a similar downwardly extending projection or flange 29 adjacent its rear edge. The length of the pair of guideways 17 for the panel 18 is sufl'icient for the panel to be moved from a front position wherein it lies over top wall panel 15 with its downwardly extending projection 20 engaging the rear edge of upwardly extending projection 16 of the panel 15 to a rear position wherein its downwardly extending projection 19 engages the front edge of the upwardly extending projection 16. In this latter position the panel 18 constitutes an element of the lid while in its front position it constitutes the lowest panel of the stack which is so positioned above the top wall 15 that the case is completely open to the rear thereof for removal of its contents as seen in FIG. 1. On its upper surface the panel 18 also carries an upwardly extending projection or flange 21 adjacent its rear edge for engagement with the downwardly extending projections 19 and 20' of the next higher panel 18 in the group.

The three intermediate panels 18, 18 and 18" are conveniently of identical construction, each having adjacent the front and rear edges of its undersurface downwardly extending projections corresponding to projections 19 and 20 of panel 18 straddling an upwardly extending projection of the next lower panel corresponding to projection 16 of panel 15'. The top panel 18" is similarly provided with a downwardly extending projection 19' but has in lieu of the projection 20 of panel 18 a latch or catch 22 adapted to engage the projection 21" of panel 18". In closing the case, the uppermost panel 18 is moved rearwardly so that the downwardly extending projection 19" on its front edge engages the upwardly extending projection 21 of the next lower panel 18 and causes it also to move rearwardly. As the rearward movement continues, the downwardly extending projections corresponding to projections 19 of panel 18" of successively lower panels engage the upwardly extended projections corresponding to projections 21" of the next lower panel and bring all the panels into partially overlapping relationship as shown in FIG. 2 in which position they cover the entire opening of the case. The top panel 18 in closed position extends over and slightly beyond the rear end wall 14 with the catch 22 in engagement with the rear face of the rear wall to lock the series of interengaged panels in place. There is sufficient resiliency in the top panel 18 to permit the catch 22 to be snapped over the end wall 14 in the closed position of the lid and to be correspondingly released when it is desired to open the case. To facilitate movement of the panels, the top panel 18" is provided with an upwardly extending finger grip 31.

In opening the case, the catch 22 is disengaged and the top panel is moved continuously frontwardly causing the downwardly extending projection adjacent the rear edge of each panel to engage the upwardly extending projection of the next lower panel and bring all the panels 18 to 13 into stacked relationship above the top wall 15. The interengaging projections adjacent the rear edges are preferably displaced therefrom as shown so that the panels will register when they are in the stacked condition as shown in FIG. 1.

The case as herein shown is designed primarily to protect and display such articles as a safety razor 24 and a blade package 25 and to hold these items, shown in dotted lines, securely in place. The case is therefore provided with box walls 26 for the razor head, forked walls 27 for the razor handle and a lug 29 for holding the blade package 25 stationary in contact with an upstanding abutment 28 adjacent the front end wall 1.3. The top panel 18" on its undersurface is also provided with downwardly extending hold-down lugs 36' which are positioned so as to engage or be closely spaced from the guide bar of the razor 24 when the cover is closed to keep the razor securely in place. Suitable openings (not shown) are provided in the upwardly extending projection 21" of the panel 155" to permit passage of the lugs 30 when the case is being opened or closed. Drainage holes (not shown) may suitably be provided in the bottom of the case.

It will be noted that the interengaging projections on the panels will keep them securely in place both when they are in stacked condition as shown in FIG. 1 and in the extended condition shown in FIG. 2. However, in order to positively limit the extent to which each panel may be moved rearwardly, the pair of guideways 17 for each panel terminates at or just beyond the panel when it is in the position shown in FIG. 2. The vertically spaced guideways 1'7 in the opposed side walls 11 and 12 thus extend from the front end of the case toward the rear and successively decrease in length from the top toward the bottom. The panels 18 to 18" are suitably made of a clear plastic material.

A slightly modified form of case is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3 wherein, in effect, two movable transparent panels 39 and 40 have been substituted for the four panels 18 to 18' of FIGS. 1 and 2. These two panels are in practice wide enough to fill substantially the same area as the four narrower panels 18 to 18'. Top wall 38 is correspondingly wider than the top wall of FIG. 2 and is similar in construction and bears an upwardly extending projection 41 adjacent its rear edge.

The intermediate panel 39 is constructed like panel 18 and is provided with corresponding stop projections 42, 43 and 44 and the top panel 40 is constructed like top panel 18 and is provided with a stop projection 45, latch 47, and finger grip 46. It will be noted that the panels 38, 39 and 40 will be wider than shown in FIG. 3 by an amount sufiicient to permit the front edge of projection 41 to engage the rear edge of projection 42 while the rear edge of projection 45 engages the front edge of projection 43.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail illustrative embodiments thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A display case comprising a base, side walls and end walls forming a rectangular enclosure, corresponding vertically spaced, parallel guideways in the inside surfaces of the side walls, a stationary panel disposed in the lowermost pair of guideways at the front end of the case to form a narrow top wall section, a plurality of panels slidably supported in successive pairs of guideways, said slidably supported panels including cooperating means to cause cumulative movement of the panels from a stacked formation above said stationary panel to one wherein the panels seriatim form a cover for the case.

2. A case as set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that the pairs of guideways are open to the front to permit insertion of the panels therein.

3. A case as set forth in claim 2 further characterized in that each pair of guideways terminates so as to provide positive stop for the panel slidably supported therein when it is in position to form a cover for the case.

4. A display case comprising a base and walls forming a rectangular enclosure and a cover for the enclosure comprising a series of rectangular panels guided to slide in a series of spaced parallel guideways in opposed side walls of the case, each corresponding pair of guideways being disposed at a different level in the side wall and progressively increasing in length as the height at which they are disposed increases and having end stops to limit the extent of travel of panels mounted therein, said panels being provided with projecting flanges adjacent their edges, said flanges being positioned to engage one another and cause cumulative movement of the panels from stacked formation to partially overlapping relationship wherein they cover the case.

5. In a display case comprising a base, side walls and end walls forming a rectangular enclosure; corresponding vertically spaced parallel guideways in the inside surfaces of the side walls, a stationary panel disposed in the lowermost pair of guideways at one end of the case to form a narrow top wall section, a plurality of panels slidably supported in successive pairs of guideways, said guide- Ways extending from the front end rearwardly and are open to the front to permit insertion of panels therein, corresponding pairs of guideways being of progressively increasing lengths upwardly to limit the rearward extent of travel of panels mounted therein, means interconnecting each panel with the panel immediately above to permit relative movement therebetween from a stacked relation to an extended, slightly overlapping relation whereby all of the panels may form a registering stack above said stationary panel and an extended position wherein said panels seriatim completely cover the top of the case with the top panel overlapping the wall in the other end of the case, means on said top panel to releasably latch it to the latter wall, and receptacle means inside the base for receiving and retaining articles of merchandise therein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,103,246 9/1963 Brodsky 202 FOREIGN PATENTS 240,917 4/1911 Germany.

WILLIAM T. DIXSON, 1a., Primary Examiner. 

